Finding Home

September 1, 2017

Gr 10 Up-A teen romance featuring a troubled foster child and the family that takes him in. Leo and Lila have been in half a dozen foster homes already, so their expectations are pretty low when they arrive at the Poulton household. The Poultons take in the duo, who are still recovering from the physical and emotional damage they suffered when their father murdered their mother. Leo is the protector; he lashes out at anyone who comes near Lila, even if they are trying to help. The only person who can get through to Leo is his new foster brother Charlie, who sees Leo's beauty masked in his pain. The limited third person narration makes it difficult for readers to connect with any of the characters, and the length of the story precludes the necessary background information that would help teens sympathize with Leo and Lila. Leo and Charlie's relationship can best be described as "insta-love;" their attraction is immediate and, due to the nature of their relationship in their foster family, not sustainable or advisable. Without enough plot to be action driven nor enough exposition to be character driven, the book will disappoint readers who are looking for a good story. VERDICT An additional purchase for larger collections.-Jenni Frencham, Columbus Public Library, WI

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2017
The survivors of a violent crime test the limits of their new foster family in this story set in England.Fifteen-year-old footballer and bad-boy Leo and his younger, hearing-impaired sister, Lila, both white, witnessed and barely survived the murder of their mother and burning of their home by their stepfather. As their new foster family in a town nearby, all of the Poultons, including their two adopted children, try their best to make the transition as easy as possible for Leo and Lila. Lila immediately gloms onto her new family. Leo, however, is expectedly rebellious, snide and flirting with danger. The giant burn scar on his arm constantly makes him ill, and it's clear to readers that he most likely is experiencing PTSD. Meanwhile, Charlie, also 15 and adopted from an orphanage in Brazil when he was 2, immediately takes a liking to Leo. Soon the two crush on each other and illicitly make out in Charlie's bedroom. A predictable act of violence ensues, which threatens Leo and Lila's ability to stay together. Leigh's prose is fairly straightforward, wrought with psychological and emotional drama that teeters on the brink of becoming too much. The lovable secondary characters, including Charlie's older brother Andy and sassy, goth-chic sister Fliss, bring humanity and hilarity to the narrative. Though readers of edgier teen fiction may find the novel fairly tame, others will be charmed by the warmth of the Poulton family and the bad-boy sensibility of Leo. Surprisingly heartwarming. (Fiction. 12-17)

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